U.S. President Donald Trump has described arms sales to Taiwan as a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with China.

Fresh from his summit in Beijing, the US president warned against a formal declaration of independence by the island.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Friday that President Trump was transparent with China’s leader during their meetings this week about Taiwan and a planned U.S. arms

China wants full control over Taiwan. The U.S. has deliberately remained quiet about what it would do if Beijing tried to take it by force.

After a two-day summit in Beijing, the President signaled that U.S. support for the self-governing island is negotiable.

At the summit, the Chinese leader placed Taiwan, a key point of friction between the U.S. and China, at the center, calling it "the most important issue" between the two countries.

President Trump in an interview that aired Friday said he wants China and Taiwan to “cool down,” while saying Taiwan should feel neither more nor less secure following his visit to China. Trump suggested nothing fundamental has changed in the U.

U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday morning for the start of a high-stakes summit that runs through Friday.

As President Trump left Beijing, there was no indication that he and Xi Jinping had resolved any major points of contention on trade, the war in Iran or other issues during their talks.